Needle in a Haystack

Batter Up

The next day.

Emily climbed into her mother's aging Corolla named Bessy. The seats were gray and threadbare and the paint was a faded red, peeling where the sun and wind had stripped away the top coat. The windows didn't roll down but the air conditioning worked great. Even when her mother's boyfriends bought her new cars, which had happened more than a few times over the years, she insisted on keeping Bessy. Anna called her an old friend and patted the faded hood like a good dog. No man could say no to that. If they tried, the relationship did not last long.

Emily stared at the empty vent air freshener the entire way to school, dread pooling in the pit of her stomach. Neither of them said a word until her mother pulled up in the visitors lot as the first bell rang.

"Go straight to class. No matter what happens we will get through this."

Anna's tone left no room for discussion. Her jaw set, she got out of the car and marched into the office with all the grace and bearing of a seasoned Luna.

Emily slunk away from her mother, which for her stature was rather difficult. She cringed when the tardy bell rang and redirected to trailing behind her. Anna paused for only a beat when Emily followed her into the office and headed for the receptionist. She switched direction and walked her daughter to the desk.

Betty, the schools lead receptionist, sat waiting for late students with the little notebook of carbon copy pink tardy slips opened to a blank page, pen poised, reading glasses perched on the end of her narrow nose. She glared at Anna in challenge, lips pursed.

"She is suspended pending investigation," Betty clipped, pointing at Emily with the end of her pen.

Emily could feel her mother's growl, but not hear it, before she spoke.

"You will give her a pass and I will deal with principal Skinner right now," Anna growled before turning to head into the principal's office.

"You can't go in there," Betty protested, dropping her notebook and pen and jumping up to head Anna off. "That poor girl's parents are in there talking to the-"

"Perfect," Anna barked, throwing open the door and letting it slam into the wall before stepping into the principal's office. "I have a bone to pick with you," she directed at the parents clinging to each other in surprise, and slammed the door closed behind her.

Betty stood frozen halfway between her desk and the office door. Emily hadn't moved from her spot in front of the desk staring at a chip in the tan Formica. She wished, not for the first time, that she could fade into mist like one of the Fay, or that she could melt into shadow like the vampires. She looked up when the chair in front of her squeaked.

Betty had sat back down and started writing her a tardy slip. Anna's shouting carried through the door brokenly.

"No explanation... School board... proof... Furthermore..."

Emily and Betty's eyes locked as Betty tore out the slip and slid it across the counter. Emily reached for it, but Betty held on and c****d a thinly penciled eyebrow, lips pursed. Emily mumbled, "Thank you. Sorry," before scurrying out of the office, tardy slip in hand.

Betty shook her head watching her go before calling up the rather large fair-haired teenage boy seated in the far corner of the waiting area.

As Emily turned the corner and headed to Mr Drake's class, she ran nose first into Derek. He grabbed her shoulders to steady her before rubbing his sternum.

"Easy there Pickle. Where's the fire?" he asked jokingly with his megawatt smile.

"Oh! Um, I'm late for class. Sorry," Emily said, trying to skirt around him.

He threw out an arm to block her path. Emily nearly ran into it too but managed to stop short. She took a calming breath before turning to face him.

"What do you want, Derek?" she said flatly despite her heart pounding.

"Don't be like that. I just wanna be your friend, Pickle," he replied, crowding her into the wall and boxing her in with his arms. His smile turned slimy, eye teeth turning to canines as he looked her up and down. He leaned in, eyes flashing yellow and sniffing her neck in one deep draw. "We could be such good friends," he growled into her hair, making full body contact.

"Hey!" a man's voice barked from the hall by the office. Derek jerked back in surprise and there was just enough room for Emily to duck out of his cage and make a run for it. She didn't stop until she made it to class.

Mr Drake raised an eyebrow when Emily sat down, but didn't comment as he collected the tardy slip and continued his lecture. She noted that Nicole was not in class today and tried to ignore the bloom of fear in her chest as she pulled out her text book. No one dared whisper or pass notes in Mr Drake's class, but Emily could feel the entire room casting curious and worried glances in her direction.

Amy sat next to her openly staring, mouth hanging open. Emily reached over and popped her mouth closed with the eraser end of her pencil. It snapped Amy out of her stupor and she got back to taking notes. They would talk later.

The bell rang and Emily started packing her things. Before she could do more than unzip her backpack, Derek walked by and brushed all of her things onto the ground on his way out the door, chased by a chorus of giggling girls.

"Hey!" Amy shouted, but he was already gone. She bent to help Emily pick up her things, grumbling about rude, entitled people while everyone else filed out of the room.

"A word, miss Pickerling," Mr Drake droned. Amy startled, nearly dropping the papers, but managed to get them onto Emily's desk.

"Talk later," she whispered before hurrying out the door.

Emily glanced up at Mr Drake from the floor, still trying to gather her belongings.

"Yes sir?"

Mr Drake scooped up her text book and deposited it on her desk. She stood up and stuffed the papers into her now ruined assignment folder.

"You shouldn't be here," was all he said before walking out and leaving her alone in the room.